RACIAL JUSTICE ACTION ADVISORY COUNCIL NEWS RELEASE

Are residential utility bills racially biased? It turns out they probably are!

According to a 2020 research paper by UC Berkeley Economics Ph.D. student Eva Lyubich, “publicly available data from the American Community Survey (ACS) from 2010 to 2017 show that annual residential energy expenditures – defined as the sum of expenditures on electricity, natural gas, and other home heating fuels – are both statistically and economically significantly higher for Black households than for white households.” (Eva, 2020)
 
Want to learn more?
Join the Racial Justice Action Advisory Council (RJAAC)
Wednesday, March 9 from 6:00 – 7:30
On Zoom (pre-registration required)
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErceCupz8vHt3pU5-J5VREwDzsUKJeAuzq

Troy Cucchiara, of Albuquerque, will share about the U.S. Department of Energy’s New Mexico Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).

Troy is the New Mexico WAP program and technical manager, as well as an active participant in the National Association for State Community Service Programs’ Racial Equity Work Group.

Be prepared to participate, as group discussion/s will be encouraged to explore ideas for how racial equity best practices can be encouraged across industries.

REFERENCE:
 Eva, L. (2020). (working paper). The Race Gap in Residential Energy Expenditures (pp. 1–2). Berkeley, CA: Department of Economics and Energy Institute at Haas.